Internal-combustion engine.



A. v. HANCOCK.

V :maammcomausmw ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILVED AUG-3h l9l4. V

Patented July 9,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. V. HANCOCK.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.3I. x914.

1,2? 1 ,569. Patented m 9, 1918 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A7 a 57 N w W A7 LELEL,

ALBERT V. HANCOCK, 01E DENVER, COLORADD.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

ee ass.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented July 2), 191%.

Application filed August 31, 1914. Serial No. 859,514.

gines, and particularly those of the fourstroke cycle type.

The object of the invention resides in the provision of an improved construction of fluid pressure engine of the type named wherein the use of a crank shaft is elimi-- nated, the power of the engine efliciently transmitted, and the sequential movement of the pistons provided for in a novel manner.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the sevral views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a. four-cylinder four-stroke cycle engine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2, a side view ofwhat is shown in Fig. 1;

ig. 3, a horizontal section of the engine; Fig. 1, a section on the line 1- 1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a section on the line 55 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6, a detail perspective view of one of the rack pistons employed in the engine;

Fig. 7, a section on the line 77 of Fig. 4' and Fig. 8, a detail of the pawl employed in the ratchet.

Referring to the drawings the improved engine is shown as comprising a base 10 upon which are mounted cylinders 11, 12, 13 and 14. Slidably mounted in the cylinders 11, 12, 13 and 14 respectively are pistons 15 to each of which is connected :1 piston rod 16. The piston rods connected to the pistons of the cylinders 11 and 1 1 are provided on their lower sides with racks 17 and on their inner sides with racks 18. The piston rods connected to the pistons of the cylinders 12 and 13 are provided on each side with racks 19 and on their lower sides with racks 20. Rotatably mounted on the base 10 beneath the piston rod 16 is a drive shaft 21. Loosely mounted on this shaft 21 are gears 22, one for each cylinder, and meshing with respective racks 17' and 20. Each ear 22 is provided with a laterally directed annular flange 23 the inner side of which is provided with ratchet teeth 24. Fixed on the shaft 21 within each flange 23 is a disk 25 carrying spring dogs 26 coiiperating with the teeth 24 so that when the gears 22 are rotated in one direction a corresponding rotation will be imparted to the shaft 21 while the opposite rotation of said gears will be ineffective to rotate said shaft.

Mounted upon the base 10 between adjacent pistons 16 are brackets 27 and rotatably mounted on these brackets respectively are gears 28, 29 and 30. These gears have their axis of rotation disposed at right angles to the axis of rotation of the gears 22. The gear 28 meshes with the racks 18 and 19 of the piston rods 16 which are associated with the cylinders 11 and 12. The gear 29 meshes with the racks 19 on the piston rods 16 associated with the cylinders 12 and 13, while the gear 80 meshes with the racks 18 and 19 on the piston rods 16 associated with the cylinders 13 and l t.

Journaled in suitable brackets upon the base 10 forward of the shaft 21 is a crank shaft 31 having fixed thereon a fly wheel 32 and having one end secured to the crank por tion of the shaft 31 and its other end pivoted to the inner end of the piston 16 associated with the cylinder 14 is a pitman 33. A suitable mechanism (not shown) may be connected with the shaft 31 for the purpose of operating the usual Valves for controlling the supply and exhaust of the cylinders. The flywheel 32 on the crank shaft and pitman has conuecthmwith but one of the pistons and serves to properly balance all of the other pistons in their operations.

In operation it will be. obvious that the pistons in two of the cylinders will always be moving in a direction to effect rotation of the shaft 21. It will be further obvious that when the firing stroke is being imparted to any one of the pistons the gears 28, 29 and 30 will serve to effect the necessary in stroke of an adjacent piston. Power may be transmitted from the shaft 21 in any suitable manner. While I have illustrated and described the invention as applied to a four-cylinder engine it will be obvious that same can be incorporated in any plural cylinder engine without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

It will also be noted that the construction herein described can be readily corporated in any fluid pressure engine without departing from the scope of the claim and I therefore do not desire to be limited to its use in connection with an internal combustion engine.

lV hat is claimed is:

In an engine, a shaft, a plurality of rotatable hollow gears loosely journaled on said shaft and having internal ratchet teeth, ratchet members carried by the shaft and located within the gears to engage the internal ratchet teeth, a plurality of cylinders having pistons slidable therein, rack bars fixed to the pistons in spaced parallel rela-' tion to each other and movable at right angles to the shaft, rack teeth on the under side of the rack bars and meshing with the gears, rack teeth on the inner sides of the outermost rack bars and also on opposite sides of the innermost racks bars, and pinions journal'ed between the rack bars and meshing With the rack teeth on the sides thereof, whereby the movement of one rack bar will produce an opposite movement of the adjacent rack bar.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT V. HANCOCK. Witnesses H. H. SIMPSON,

L. P. VVELD. 

